Mathany & Higgs Law
9 lawyers · Established 2018 · City of Toronto
One of 2,345 law firms listed in Toronto, and one of 369 handling Administrative & Regulatory Law.
About Mathany & Higgs Law
Mathany & Higgs Law is a Toronto firm focused on expropriation, land use planning, and property and civil litigation. Ian Mathany and Christel Higgs founded the practice in 2018, and it now runs from a single office on Jarvis Street in the city's downtown core. The team has grown to three partners, six lawyers, a land use planner, and a support and clerking staff. Its lawyers act on both sides of expropriation and planning matters: municipalities, provincial agencies, and transit authorities on one side, and landowners, developers, and businesses on the other, across Ontario.
Christel Higgs was called to the Ontario bar in 2007, has worked in land use planning, transit, and property litigation for more than 15 years, and belongs to the Canadian Bar Association, the Ontario Bar Association, the Ontario Expropriation Association, and the International Right of Way Association. Ian Mathany worked as a partner at one of Canada's largest full service law firms before co-founding the practice, and is a past president and board member of the Ontario Expropriation Association and a certified instructor with the International Right of Way Association. Both founders have been recognized in Best Lawyers in Canada for expropriation, municipal, and real estate law, and the firm was named to the 2025 edition of Best Law Firms Canada, ranked nationally in one practice area and regionally in four.
Practice areas
Milestones & recognition
- Ian Mathany and Christel Higgs founded Mathany & Higgs Law in 2018.
- Christel Higgs was called to the Ontario bar in 2007.
- Ian Mathany practiced as a partner at one of Canada's largest full service law firms before co-founding the practice.
- Ian Mathany is a past president and current board member of the Ontario Expropriation Association, and a certified instructor with the International Right of Way Association.
- Both founders have been recognized in Best Lawyers in Canada, in categories that include expropriation, municipal, and real estate law.
- The firm was named to the 2025 edition of Best Law Firms Canada, ranked nationally in one practice area and regionally in four practice areas.
In the community
- Through its M&H Cares program, the firm directs time and resources toward local initiatives and charities alongside its legal practice.
- Land use planner May Luong served as an Ethics Judge for the Intercollegiate Business Competition in 2019 and 2020.
Good to know
Wheelchair accessibleLawyers 9
Aisling Flarity
Partner
Administrative & Regulatory LawReal Estate Law
Alyssa Granato
Associate
Administrative & Regulatory LawReal Estate Law
Cameron Paulikot
Senior Real Estate Counsel
Real Estate Law
Christel Higgs
Senior Partner
Administrative & Regulatory LawReal Estate Law
Ian Mathany
Senior Partner
Administrative & Regulatory LawReal Estate Law
Jessica Karban
Associate
Administrative & Regulatory Law
Kristina Bezprozvannykh
Associate
Civil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionAdministrative & Regulatory Law
Mariana Cherkas
Associate
Administrative & Regulatory LawCivil Litigation & Dispute Resolution
Meagan Patry
Associate
Administrative & Regulatory LawReal Estate Law
This firm’s lawyers at a glance
- Called to the bar
- 2005–2020 · median 9 years in practice 5 of 9 lawyers
- Law schools
- Osgoode Hall Law School (2), University of Ottawa 3 of 9 lawyers
Who handles what
The neighbourhood
The firm's office sits in the block at 61 to 75 Jarvis Street, a commercial building put up in 1872 and designated under the Ontario Heritage Act as part of the St. Lawrence Neighbourhood Heritage Conservation District. The block was built during a period of commercial growth in the district and still shows the polychrome brickwork, stone detailing, and glazed storefronts typical of the era's warehouses. It stands across Jarvis Street from St. James Park, in one of the oldest developed parts of downtown Toronto. For a firm whose work runs to property litigation and land use planning, practicing out of a heritage designated building is a fitting address.
Legal support staff 1
Law clerks, paralegals and articling students at this firm. They are not licensed lawyers.
Frequently asked questions
- A municipality or transit agency wants to expropriate my property in Ontario. Can Mathany & Higgs Law help?
- Yes. Expropriation is one of the firm's core practice areas. Lawyers advise landowners on their rights and options from the first notice through to compensation and, where necessary, a hearing of necessity.
- We're a municipality planning to acquire land for a project. Does the firm act for public authorities too?
- Yes. The firm counsels municipalities, provincial governments, and other agencies planning an expropriation, helping them comply with the Ontario Expropriations Act and related regulations.
- What is a hearing of necessity, and can the firm represent me at one?
- A hearing of necessity is the stage in an Ontario expropriation where an owner can challenge whether the taking is actually justified. The firm represents owners who want to contest an expropriating authority's case at that hearing.
- I'm a developer facing a zoning or Official Plan issue in Toronto. Can the firm help with the approvals?
- Yes. Land use planning is a core practice area, covering municipal approvals, Official Plan and zoning amendments, minor variances, and consent approvals, plus appearances before the Ontario Land Tribunal.
- Does the firm only handle expropriation, or also general property disputes?
- Both. Alongside expropriation and land use planning, the firm handles property and civil litigation, and its lawyers appear before all levels of Ontario courts.
- How big is Mathany & Higgs Law and where is it located?
- The firm has three partners, six lawyers, and a land use planner, working from one office at 61A Jarvis Street in downtown Toronto.
Where to find them
61A Jarvis St., Suite 200, Toronto, ON M5C 2H2 · 416-947-6700
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